At her apartment, the door clicked shut behind them with a soft finality that sealed out the chaos of the night. Virat carried Ishani straight to the living room sofa—her body still trembling faintly from shock and the lingering sting of the burn. He set her down gently, like she was made of something fragile, then knelt in front of her.

“Ruko, jaana… pehle yeh haath theek karte hain.”